


This is Your Song

by citriccenobite



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, Femslash February 2019, bitter about fe15's shit writing, faye deserved better, grey said silquefaye rights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 03:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17821163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citriccenobite/pseuds/citriccenobite
Summary: And though I am gone, just ash in the windOne life surrendered so yours can beginCourage, my children: this is your songI am the earth, I will make you strong...An AU post-canon fic where Faye leaves with Silque on her journey of restoration, and discovers something more along the way.





	This is Your Song

**Author's Note:**

> im gay and angry. faye deserved better
> 
> this is based partially on the headcanon that silque wrote/sang heritors of arcadia since her english VA also sings the english ending
> 
> this is my first posted fic and i'm not that great at writing so any comments/suggestions are welcome

Slinging the generous pack of provisions over her shoulder, Faye sighed as she waved goodbye to the beaming villagers. They’d given her way too much, and Silque would never let her hear the end of it.

She’d been tending to the wounded in this small Rigelian village; Silque was resting outside, having exhausted her powers from doing the same. Having just finished healing a soldier’s broken leg, Faye turned around to find a wizened old woman pushing a cloth-wrapped bundle into her arms.“What-?”

The woman explained to Faye, in a quiet voice, that the villagers had gathered up what extra supplies they’d had as a gift to the two. Over her head, Faye could see the others peeking in through the doorway of the small cottage they’d commandeered as a makeshift clinic.

“Thank you,” Faye started, “but this is too much.” But they wouldn’t hear it, and now Faye was leaving with almost a week’s worth of food and supplies. She trudged down the path out of the village, eventually coming to a small copse of trees at the side of the road. Silque sat at the base of the biggest tree, reading one of her books she’d brought along. At the sound of Faye’s footsteps, she looked up with a smile- then quirked her eyebrows in confusion at the cloth parcel.

“Oh my. Is all that for us?”

“Yep,” said Faye, setting the package down with a _thump_ next to Silque. “I _did_ try to give some of it back, but they were _reeeeeeeally_ stubborn about it.” Plopping down on the ground, she unwrapped the cloth to reveal a few loaves of bread, a parcel of dried meat, and almost a dozen ripe oranges. “At least we won’t have to forage for food now… I hope the villagers’ll be alright.” She took a strip of jerky from the bag and munched on it, absentmindedly. “Yummy.”

“People have been so kind to us on this journey,” Silque said, leaning back against the tree. “Mila bless them.” She turned to Faye. “Thank you for shouldering some of my burden. I can’t imagine what I would do without you here to help me.” Faye reddened, the strip of jerky still hanging out of her mouth.

“Oh! Um, it’s nothing, really. I mean, I was the one who followed you...” she trailed off, quietly.

Both girls gazed out at the landscape of Rigel spread before them. The tree they sat under was one of the only fully grown ones in sight, many of the others stunted by cold and poor soil. But it was spring, and the breeze, while chilly, bore with it the promise of warmer days; maybe in the years to come, even Rigel’s barren plains would bring forth fruit. Silque started humming a tune, one she’d hummed often on the road thus far, and Faye closed her eyes, listening.

Away from Ram Village- away from Alm- she felt like she’d finally found something else worth chasing.

***

_“Silque! Wait!”_

_The priestess turned quickly in surprise. On the road behind her, a familiar braided figure kicked up dust as she ran towards Silque._

_“Faye?”_

_The village girl came to a stop in front of her, panting with exertion. “Gosh… I… I thought I’d missed you. Whew!” She exhaled dramatically, hands on her knees, and then straightened up to look at Silque._

_“Why are you-”_

_“Please let me join you on your pilgrimage!” Faye cut Silque off, lunging for her and taking her hands. “Please please pleeeeeease?”_

_Silque stared at her, partly baffled, but mostly flustered by feeling the warmth of her hands, the touch of her skin. They had never held hands before. Silque managed to pull herself together enough to stammer out a response._

_“I thought you were going back to Ram.”_

_“I did go back to Ram, but...” Faye sighed, getting a particular look in her eyes; Silque had learned over the course of their friendship that it meant she was thinking about Alm, or something Alm-related. “It’s just not the same, without_ him _there. And then I thought about you and your journey, and I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again after you left, and...” She trailed off, looking to the side in embarassment._

_“It felt like something was missing. And I thought… maybe if I went with you, I could find it.” Faye smiled somewhat bashfully at Silque as she finished, and Silque privately thanked the Mother for that radiant smile._

_“I… I think I’d like that too, Faye.”_

***

Silque watched Faye jog ahead, the pack of food on her back seeming to hardly hinder her a bit, and smiled. The girl was only one year younger than her, but she had as much energy as a puppy. Silque wished she could be half as energetic, and thanked Mila once again that she wasn’t undertaking this journey alone.

Faye seemed to have taken to life on the road fairly well; she didn’t complain if they had to sleep under the stars or look for edible herbs in the forests. She had a cheerful disposition; wherever they traveled, she always had a kind word for a suffering villager or an upset child. She had proved to be particularly skilled as a cleric, and in some ways her magic even surpassed Silque’s own. But to Silque, the biggest benefit was simply that Faye was there with her, and that she was- or seemed to be- actually _enjoying_ herself.

During most of their campaign with the Deliverance, she had seemed too preoccupied with Alm to actually have any goals that didn’t begin or end with him. Maybe she would never forget Alm, but getting away from Ram Village seemed to have taken her mind off of him, at least for a while.

“Silque! There’s another town over this hill! ...Oh.”

Faye waited for her as Silque slowly trudged up the rise. The village at the foot of the hill was larger, but much worse off, than the last few they’d visited. A cluster of three dozen or so houses still stood, but with roofs damaged by fire, fences collapsing and walls missing clusters of bricks. At the center of the village there was what looked to have been a temple of Mila, but one of the walls sported a gaping hole.

“This is awful...” murmured Faye, her hand clutched over her chest. It was something Silque had noticed her doing when she was worried or upset. She reached over and gently patted Faye on the shoulder, making her start and look over at her.

“It looks like they’ve already started rebuilding.” Silque smiled, looking over at Faye. “Let’s go down and see how we can help.” Faye smiled back at her. “Yeah.”

***

It was genuinely a marvel, Faye thought, how limitless Silque’s patience seemed to be.

As it turned out, the town of Fandal was something of a commercial hub for the surrounding areas. As word spread of a pair of traveling healers, people from other villages flocked to Fandal, bringing their wounded in carts and slings. No matter how many people came to see her, Silque always had the strength and patience to look at someone’s broken leg, or an infected cut which had gone too long without healing, or a colicky child who had been crying all night. It was the third day they’d been here.

Pulling her attention away from the priestess, Faye hefted a load of lumber over her shoulder. Fandal needed its walls rebuilt, and they weren’t going to magically pop up on their own. She trudged over to the nearest portion of the walls, dropping the lumber near one of the builders, who waved and smiled at her.

At least living in Ram had taught her what to expect. They’d not had many bandit attacks, but Faye had learned basic repairs just like every other kid in the village. Without much ado, she took a wide-handled mallet and began pounding the freshly-cut crossbars into the newly-set fence frames. Her arms ached with every swing, but when she looked over at Silque she felt renewed. _Like seeing an angel_ , she thought.

***

Faye woke to a faint humming in her ears and rolled over in the borrowed bed, rubbing her eyes grumpily.

Despite everything they’d done that day, she somehow couldn’t manage to stay asleep. She faced the wall, thinking sleepily about the work they’d done that day in town; Mila’s temple haad turned into an impromptu infirmary as people from the smaller villages brought their wounded to the area’s sole priestess. The walls were repaired. The houses were repaired. The children had been fed. The injured had been...

Faye’s eyes caught a glint of light as she turned restlessly, and she looked towards the room’s sole, small window.

At first glance, she thought she was still dreaming; the apparition’s hair caught the moonlight in a way that made it seem almost transparent. As Faye rubbed the sleep out of her eyes in wonder, she realized Silque was still awake.

Sitting up in bed with her face pointed towards the window, the priestess hummed a now-familiar tune to herself, very quietly. Her hair was free of her usual coif, and the faint light from the window threw her shape into soft relief; she looked almost like an idol of Mila herself, quietly presiding over one of her shrines.

As Silque hummed, she lifted her voice into song barely loud enough to hear:

_“And though I am gone, just ash in the wind_

_One life surrendered so yours can begin_

_Courage, my children; this is your song_

_I am the earth, I will make you strong...”_

“Silque?” The priestess stiffened at the sound of Faye’s voice, before slowly turning to face her. “Ah… I’m sorry, did I wake you?

” “Um, uh, no!” Faye lied, clumsily; she couldn’t quite see in the low light, but she could still tell Silque was flustered. “It’s just… uh, I’m having a hard time sleeping. Yeah.” She blushed a little herself, recalling the moment; it had seemed so sacred, so pure, watching Silque sing. “Is that…. Um, is that a hymn?”

Silque smiled bashfully, looking down at the blanket. “It might be, one day.” She folded her hands, in a gesture Faye had so often seen her make over the wounded they’d tended to. “I was thinking about… the day we faced Duma, with King Alm. And...” Her voice faltered. “I was thinking about the Earth Mother.”

“Oh...” Faye fumbled for something to say, moments passing in silence. She’d learned, on her march alongside the Deliverance, how much faith Silque held in Mila; what Mila had meant to her. But Silque had never talked about that day since Faye had joined her on her journey. “Um… I’m sorry. It’s hard to think that she’s… well, gone, I guess.”

Silque smiled at her sadly. “It is. But she’s at rest now, just like any of the people who’ve passed before us.” She looked out the window again, gazing at the moon. “I was thinking of writing that hymn for her. Even though she’s gone, she touched my life, gave me purpose. So… as long as we remember her, as long as we practice what she taught, it’s like she’s still with us. I’m…”

Silque paused, her silhouette in the moonlight somehow acutely and piercingly sad, and spoke directly to Faye. “ _We’re_ not alone.”

So may emotions sprung into Faye’s chest- sadness, empathy, respect, tenderness- and before she knew it she was crossing the room.

Faye sat herself on the edge of Silque’s bed. Silque looked back at her in surprise as Faye took her hands, just like she’d done on the first day of their journey.

“No,” said Faye, “you’re not alone.” She looked into Silque’s eyes, dark blue in the moonlight. She wished she could see something there other than the unfathomable calm, but in those few seconds Silque’s face collapsed like a crumbling building.

“It’s okay,” said Faye, holding her trembling body tightly.

Silque’s hands began to tremble in Faye’s. “I know I’m not alone.” She smiled, tremulously, her eyes wide with tears as she squeezed Faye’s hands.

“Because you’re here.”

And with shivering arms, Silque hugged Faye as tightly as she could. Faye returned the hug, holding so tightly that for a brief moment she felt she would squeeze the breath out of Silque.

Softly, she whispered: “I love you, Silque.” And Silque nestled against Faye, the warmth in her gesture overwhelming.

Faye settled in with her that night, holding Silque in her arms. Silque breathed softly once she’d fallen back asleep; the rhythmic sound of her breaths and the rise and fall of her chest sent Faye into a sleepy spiral. As she drifted off, Faye thought she could still hear Silque’s song, as if the sparse room had somehow absorbed and echoed her melody.

***

Faye and Silque sat on a hill above the small town after a long day of healing and bandaging injuries. Their hands were clasped together.

It was twilight, and the glow from Fandal’s newly-repaired windows softly illuminated the village’s buildings. The village itself seemed to glow in the twilight. In the low light, the village’s windows glowed; their work was mostly done there, and it was good to see people going about their business as if the war had never happened.

Silque shifted nervously in the low light, sneaking glances at Faye. She finally spoke, in a low and intimate voice.

“Did you really mean… what you said last night?”

Faye giggled, as if someone had asked her if the sky was blue. “Of course, silly.” As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she took Silque’s hand… and Silque’s entire body relaxed, looking up at the stars above. They stayed like that for a while, watching the stars as the revelry commenced in the village down below.

“I love you too, Faye.”

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to cel for supporting silquefaye rights & encouraging me even though i'm dumb and slow at writing


End file.
